05/04/2026
For museum Historyland, I recreated a prehistoric mammoth hut built from mammoth bones and hides. Thousands of years ago, people living on the mammoth steppe had very limited access to building materials like wood. Instead, they lived in vast, open grasslands cold tundra landscapes with only a few scattered shrubs.
To survive these harsh conditions, they cleverly used what was available: massive mammoth bones formed the frame of their shelters, while animal hides provided insulation and protection from the elements.
This modern reconstruction is made using artificial hides and around 75 bones, cast in concrete and fiberglass to achieve a realistic appearance while remaining durable.
Special thanks go to Dick Mol for lending mammoth bones from the Mammoth Laboratory Hellevoetsluis. By making molds and on the real fossil bones, we were able to create highly realistic replicas that bring this ancient way of living back to life.
